The Essence of Ashes
by Moritatus
Summary: Alternate Universe. Post-apocalyptic world. Survivors try to piece together what has happened and protect what remains. Eventual Itahina.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Alternate Universe. Post-apocalyptic world. Survivors try to piece together what has happened and protect what remains. Eventual Itahina.

Timeline: After Naruto goes into training with Jiraya for two and a half years, though certain events have been delayed or expedited.

Warning: Character death.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

They were all dead.

Hinata numbly stared past the bloody carnage to the smoking crater of what used to be Konohagakure. Each shallow breath she took brought the scent of burning flesh to smother her, the smoke cloying in her lungs.

She detachedly noted that she was in shock and should probably start searching for her teammates or at least deal with her injuries, but she couldn't tear herself away from the scene before her.

When the sudden blasts of energy had rained down from the sky, no one had time to react when half the world was wiped out in a blink. The centers of impact obliterated all traces of life and the following shockwaves blew down surrounding buildings and landscape for miles around. Debris littered the landscape and fires burned the remains.

Hinata and her teammates had just completed a mission that took months of tracking and had ultimately ended with a short but bloody battle that left them exhausted. They were hurrying back with minimal stops and Hinata was looking forward to finally getting uninterrupted sleep within the safety of Konoha's walls. She had just sighted the gates at the edge of her Byakugan-powered eyesight when the blindingly bright flash caused her to recoil. Her teammates had not even managed to stop their momentum when they were all caught by the shockwave and thrown backwards.

She heard Akamaru yelp before a flying chunk of what had been a piece of the wall surrounding the village struck her and the world went dark.

* * *

She awoke to find herself pinned between the trunk of a fallen tree and a boulder.

Brute strength was not her forte and because she was still drained from the mission, Hinata had barely managed to exert enough chakra to move the tree as she struggled against the stabs of pain radiating from two- no- three possibly fractured ribs and the abnormal throbbing below her left knee.

When she freed herself and lay panting on the ground, she squinted at her leg. The fabric had torn and she immediately closed her eyes to fight off the rising nausea brought on by the sight of her broken fibula bone protruding through her skin. But all worries for her leg fled her mind when she looked around and found the land unrecognizable.

_This cannot be real,_ she thought faintly.

She rose, gripping at the side of the boulder and activating her bloodline limit for a better look.

_Where am-_

Her gaze landed on the cluster of rocks in the distance once called Hokage Mountain. She would not have identified it as such but for the cracked half of the Godaime's sculpted face resting at the base.

As she stood there, she began to tremble. _No- This is not Konoha. It can not be. She must be caught in an enemy genjutsu that fools even the Byakugan or something similar. Konoha can not just-_

_Where is her team?_ The sudden thought jolted her from frozen horror and she continued scanning her surroundings with Byakugan.

It was chaos. Trees upturned; clothing, furniture, fruits, various knickknacks caught in the roots. There were doorways, windows, and entire walls scattered brokenly across the land, like shattered pieces of a once whole egg-shell. Thick black smoke rose into the air from various areas where flames were slowly consuming everything in the area.

But she could see no animals.

A chill ran up her spine.

No living human life forms.

The dread pervading her body settled somewhere in the pit of her stomach. She tried to calm herself and strained her eyes to look more carefully.

There was blood.

And bodies.

Her trembling turned into visible shaking.

A multitude of bodies beneath the rubble, all without any sign of chakra flow. All dea-

_There!_ A faint chakra signature about a kilometer to her left. She must have missed it in her initial panic. She could tell that it was Shino from the kikaichuu surrounding his chakra. The sense of relief was almost more nauseating than the worry. His chakra flow was feeble and thready.

She needed to get to him. But her leg- she needed to conserve her remaining chakra for Shino. Fortunately she still had her pack with her and she took out her medical kit and a handkerchief. Biting down on the cloth, she braced herself to set her leg. As soon as she pulled together a makeshift splint, she began limping towards where Shino was, apprehension fueling her steps and hurrying her along.

Hinata finally came upon a large mountain of debris, rocks, and wood. She clambered up and dug through to where she can see he was buried. Removing a board, she turned off her Byakugan as she uncovered his face at last.

Slightly hysterical, she noted that he was still wearing his glasses, though the lenses had broken and fallen away. A deep gash along his cheek bled sluggishly.

"Hinata."

"Shi-Shino-kun! Please hold on-I-I will get you out!" Her anxiety had brought back her stutter. He was far, far too pale. Sweat beaded at his forehead.

"There is... no need to waste your energy... Why you ask? Because... the wound in my abdomen is too large and I... have lost too much blood. "

"No-S-Shino-kun! Just let me-" She scrabbled at the rocks.

"_Listen_," he said, stilling her movements with his gaze. "My insects cannot find Kiba and Akamaru...or anyone else. And from what they've gathered...the destruction extends... even farther than what you can see. My pack... to my right... take it. " She began to sob, tears spilling over as she shook her head.

"There is a scroll inside, a letter to my father ... If..." A pained expression crossed his face. " If you find him... please, leave it with him... Why? Because they were words... I could never say... I'm sure you understand... what clans are like." At this, his lips quirked up in a rare smile, which only made Hinata bite down into the flesh of her hand to muffle herself as she cried harder, because it was too unlike Shino and too much like a goodbye and if she accepted it to be so-

"Hinata..." His breaths became shallower. "You are strong... Stand by your beliefs... Live on for those who cannot..." His gaze grew distant as his breathing slowed. "I...have been fortunate... to have lived alongside you." He let out a final sigh and his face slackened, eyes closed.

_Oh Kami- this can not be happening- No-no-no-no-no-_"No! Shino-kun! Don't-" _die_- her mind whispered the word fearfully. Frantically, she resumed pulling away at the rocks and managed to unearth half his body. She stopped short by the sight of his blood still seeping out of the wound where a thick wooden post had skewered through his stomach.

_Oh-_

As reality set in, she crumbled.

She wept- tears of mourning, confusion, fear.

She cried for Shino-kun who had probably known that an empty crater is all that's left of home.

For Konoha, the one constant she had always taken for granted, now reduced to nothing but rubble in a split second.

For friends who have died, for they would no longer pursue their dreams.

For friends who still live, for they were lucky, or unlucky, enough to be away on a mission and continued to live not knowing that they had just lost their families and the stability of their world.

She cried for her own family, for though they were strict and full of unresolved issues, they were hers to keep, hers to fix, hers to love.

She cried for herself, for now she was alone and Shino was wrong, wrong, _wrong_, because she _is_ weak and no longer sure if she had anything to believe in.

She cried until she no longer had the energy to cry or feel or do anything but huddle next to the corpse of her friend thinking that maybe the emptiness within meant that she too had died and the remaining warmth in her body would drain away with the sunlight until she became as cold as all the other lifeless things surrounding her. She let exhaustion take her into the comforting oblivion of sleep.

* * *

When she cracked open her swollen eyes, she saw the night sky. She was covered with a blanket she did not recall having. Hinata turned her head in an attempt to puzzle out her surroundings and started when she met with flickering eyes peering at her from across the campfire.

"Well, well, well. Seems like the little guppy we caught is awake."

Hinata jerked her eyes away from Uchiha Itachi and identified the position of his partner by the sharp flash of teeth in the darkness to the right. In a rush of adrenaline-fueled terror, she bolted from the bedding only to collapse in a spasm of pain.

"Ara ara, I think you won't get far with the state you're in."

Kisame stood and walked over to where she curled on the ground, trembling and clutching at her ribs. He hauled her up by her shirt and deposited her back onto the bedroll. Hinata whimpered through clenched teeth as her broken leg made contacted with the ground.

"Gently, Kisame. We will have no answers if she dies from your... care."

"Going soft, Itachi-san?" Kisame smirked.

Itachi ignored the comment. "There do not appear to be other survivors in our vicinity."

Kisame shot a considering glance at him before turning to leer down at her. "Guess it's your lucky day, Nibbles. Now that you're up, you can answer some questions."

But Hinata wasn't paying attention. When Itachi stated that there were no survivors, she remembered the events that occurred before she passed out. The bodies, the blood, and the broken remnants of Konoha. Her team, her friends, her family- they were all gone. Grief threatened to overwhelm her once more.

Itachi appeared before her, grasping her chin and tilting her head up to capture her eyes with his. "Calm," he ordered, Sharingan activated and whirling mesmerizingly.

Her breathing leveled and an unnatural stillness settled over her. She knew she was being manipulated, though she couldn't help but be grateful for the reprieve from the horrifying currents of loss that her thoughts would have swept her into.

"Tell me what you had seen of the events that transpired during and after the decimation of Konohagakure."

She didn't have the will to dispel the effects of his Sharingan and began relaying what she knew. But, she didn't have much to say and her narration was cut short as she became agitated nearing the event of Shino's death, enough to break through Itachi's light hypnosis.

"So there really is no one left," Kisame said, frowning.

"I-I couldn't find any other chakra signs but I didn't continue looking after-" after she found Shino only to watch him die.

Itachi looked away, changing the subject. "You said a bright flash... Was that all you saw before the impact?"

Curiously enough, they had yet to kill her, so she decided to continue speaking. Focusing on that time frame, Hinata closed her eyes and slowly replayed it in her mind. She spoke softly. "There were large balls of energy...of different sizes... But I don't know... They were not quite spheres... If-if I were to speculate.. I would say that there was something...chaotic about them..." When she opened her eyes, they were both staring at her. She backtracked, flustered. "B-but, it was fast and I don't know if I- if I saw it and remember correctly."

The look Itachi gave her seemed to penetrate through her mind, laying it bare before him and she tensed, wondering what the infamous genius could be thinking. "...Do not doubt your eyes."

Kisame raised an eyebrow at Itachi who proceeded to stare off into the distance, murmuring "... Much of the land we've seen on the way here resembles the current state of Konoha."

Throwing a log into the dying fire, Kisame's face hardened in thought. "I don't like this Itachi-san. There's nothing from headquarters. Something is fishy about this and it's not me."

"I have my suspicions," Itachi said, closing his eyes. "We must prepare to move forward under the assumption that this is not the only area that suffers from the blasts and perhaps the headquarter is gone as well. We need to gather more information." Itachi turned to face Hinata. "You can be useful, Hyuuga, should you choose to join us," he said, inadvertently sending a stab of sadness through her as she is reminded of her clan.

But he has handed her a purpose and she clung to the safety of it. In that moment, she found the will to live on. "H-Hinata," she said tentatively.

Because she remembered, because she knew, it is better to take control of your fate than to wallow in despair. That is also part of her ninja way.

"What was that Nibbles?"

She lifted her head to meet their eyes and firmly told them, "You may call me Hinata, if we are to work together."

Itachi nodded slightly. "Hinata."

She got the sense that he was...pleased. Or maybe that was just her imagination and she had already gone mad, as proven by her decision to follow to two highly dangerous ninjas out into the unknown.

But, though they will be using her, they had let her live. And they had helped her regain a sense of self. She plucked at the blanket they left her with and thought that they were undoubtedly deadly but perhaps they are not as cruel as their reputations say.

"Then it's settled." Kisame smirked, good humor restored at the prospect of traveling and potential fighting in the future. "Looks like it really is your lucky day,_ Nibbles_, if Itachi-san has accepted you. We'll be leaving at dawn." He flashed his teeth at her in a menacing smile, his eyes flicking to her leg. "Don't slow us down now, little guppy."

They retreated to the other side of the fire to converse out of her hearing.

Now that she was left to her own devices and in no immediate danger, she unwrapped her leg to tend to it. The sleep she had gotten had restored some of her chakra reserves so she was able to carefully mend the bone, vessels and muscle fibers, sealing the skin with the Mystical Palm Technique. When she finished, she realized that even moderately minor healing had drained more of her energy than it normally would have.

Her ribs will have to wait.

She carefully shifted down onto the bedroll and drifted into slumber once more.

* * *

"The guppy is asleep. How...trusting. "

"She has been through an ordeal."

"My, you really _are_ getting soft. Your village meant that much to you?"

"No."

Kisame appraised him knowingly. "If you say so, Itachi-san." Then he stretched and walked off into the darkness, calling out over his shoulder, "I will take watch."

Alone, Itachi allowed himself a grimace before schooling his features back into a mask of impassivity. He relaxed the muscles that had been tensed since the mass destruction occurred. To think that all his efforts to protect the village amounted to a pile of ashes. He knew that he could not have predicted this outcome and thus would have been unable to prevent it, but... He clenched his fist.

The time for mourning and regrets must come later.

He hoped that Sasuke, at least, had been spared. All was not yet lost. He needed to find him.

His gaze fell on the still form across the campfire.

Konoha, the village, is gone.

But, villages are made of more than just land and the Hyuuga girl-Hinata, though the recent events traumatized her, he could see that she had inherited the spirit that will help rebuild what was lost.

She will be useful, but he predicted that she will need more training to survive this world. Kisame, for all his gruffness, will undoubtedly jump at the chance to mold her into a worthy opponent.

He released a quiet sigh and looked up at the sky. Dawn will arrive in a few hours. There was much to think about.

And so, Itachi settled back to begin salvaging his plans and formulating new ones on how to proceed from here.

AN: This turned out a lot darker than I originally intended. It's my first shot at a multi-chaptered story and updates will undoubtedly be slow. Feedback is welcomed. :)


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Okay, I'll be honest, I posted this chapter a few days ago and hated it. But I posted it anyway, hoping that my shame would propel me into a sudden epiphany of how to make this right. The plot deserves better than to be ruined by my crap writing. I've made some changes but maybe I'll rewrite the whole thing at a later time.

* * *

Chapter 2

Kisame woke her a little before dawn by throwing a pack down beside her. She had managed to sleep for several hours without disturbances, but that had not meant that she was well rested. In fact, jarred into consciousness, she felt almost worse than before she had closed her eyes. Hinata blearily sat up, noting that the tall Akatsuki member was by the fire pit and the other was nowhere to be seen. A headache throbbed incessantly behind her temples and she blinked, sight spinning until it finally focused on the bundle next to her. As she stared at it in dismayed recognition, he said, "Carry that. We might not be able to find more."

She glanced up at him, wondering if he knew just to whom that pack had belonged before he gave it to her. "Ki-Kisame-san?"

A grimace crossed Kisame's face. "Don't 'san' me, Nibbles. I'm not the type."

Unfortunately, Hinata was not familiar with the Bingo Books on missing-nin and he had not introduced himself. She hoped he had not expected her to come up with a personalized nickname for him like he did for her. Her father had always insisted on proper titles. "...Kisame?" She finally ventured cautiously, thinking back to how his partner had addressed him.

"What, Nibbles?"

She looked back down, brushing a hand over the fabric of the bag. "...Is this..." _Was this Shino's?_ She swallowed, half wanting confirmation, half wanting denial.

He squinted at her from where he knelt, erasing evidence of the campfire. "We needed the supplies and your comrade was closest." Sizing her up, he added, "Thought you'd want it."

She blinked at him speechlessly, her emotions a mix of astonishment at the gesture and of heartache at yet another reminder of loss. He misread her look and scowled, "Don't tell me you're going to be one of those picky little brats squeamish about taking things from corpses."

His comment snapped her out of her thoughts and her grip tightened on the bag. "No, I-" She smiled sadly. "I would have gone back for it. Thank you. "

The unexpected kindness was startlingly at odds with his demeanor and Hinata could not help but wonder if she had only imagined waking up. She resolved to continue exercising caution in her interactions with her new companions.

She took a deep breath to gather her thoughts and winced when her ribs protested.

"Clean yourself up. A lake is behind that ridge," Kisame said, sensing her weakness like blood in the water and indicating the direction of water with a jerk of his head.

"Thank you, Kisame-sa-Kisame." A lifetime of politeness will be hard to break.

He smirked. "Make it quick, Nibbles. We're leaving as soon as Itachi-san gets back."

She hurried to the water's edge with her only change of clothing, not knowing how long she had.

Watching her leave, Kisame frowned.

When she had addressed him in such a polite way, she reminded him of another girl, one he had killed to protect the secrets of the Cypher Division when he was still a shinobi of Kirigakure. And even though any feelings of remorse he might have had were crushed long before he had taken on jobs of the treacherous sort, at the time that girl was so naive, so willing to trust... it almost made him hesitate. He wondered if he would end up killing this one too. Though Itachi-san might have something to say about that.

Kisame snorted.

Itachi-san really was surprisingly sentimental.

They had gone for a closer look at the remains of Konoha while the guppy was sleeping and though his partner was still as guarded as ever, for a second, Kisame had caught the unmistakable flash of something like remorse as they were surveying the surroundings. Granted, it was not very obvious, but Kisame had worked too closely with the normally controlled man to not catch the slightly unnatural stillness that gave his partner away. To think that it would be the village that exposed Itachi-san's soft underbelly... His first assessment of his partner was more inaccurate than he had thought.

Maybe the girl would surprise him as well.

His mouth widened in a smile. He was looking forward to testing the guppy.

* * *

Hinata hissed as she shed her shirt and bindings to reveal dark bruises along her ribcage. A closer inspection with Byakugan showed fine cracks in two of her rib bones and a clean break in one. She released a breath in relief. For all the bruising, it wasn't as bad as she thought. She mended the fractures and then took off her torn and stained bottoms as well before submerging herself in the numbingly cold waters to quickly scrub the blood and dirt off.

When she finished, Hinata could no longer avoid what she had been putting off. In all honesty, she was torn between wanting to run away from the finality of it and wanting closure. In the end, she made her way back to where Shino's body was.

It wasn't hard to find. Tracking had been their team's specialty after all. Hinata suppressed the urge to cry at the thought.

When she approached the body, she was surprised to find that he had been buried once more, a large rock a make-shift tombstone. She wondered which of the Akatsuki had thought to do so, and why, before deciding that it didn't matter. She was not sure she could have handled the sight calmly and was thankful regardless.

She wet her lips and drew breath to speak. "Shino-kun." She stopped, not having planned her words and unsure on what to say first. But, time was running out, and soon she will be expected back at the camp, so she opened her mouth to try again.

"Shino-kun, I- This- I had hoped it would never come to this. Though, they had always told us that there would be risks, given what we do, I didn't expect- we had made it through so many dangerous situations that I thought-" her voice cracked.

"I had thought that it would not happen to us."

She closed her eyes, hands clutching into the cloth of her sleeves, a twisted, self-castigating smile pulling her mouth into a pained expression.

"I was naive."

She opened her eyes, needing to address him. "I came to tell you that I am going. I am going to find answers, because right now I know nothing- not why this has happened, or what to look for, or how to go on. I don't even know where Kiba-kun or Akamaru are or if they're even- even-" she halted her ramblings to draw in another shaky breath, refocusing.

Fighting against the lump in her throat, she continued, "I am sorry for leaving like this. I don't know how long it will take or if I will even make it back alive, so before I go-" The hot burn of tears returned as she remembered his words to her. "I don't want to leave words unsaid." She tried blinking rapidly but the tears had already spilled over. "I had never told you or Kiba-kun how much you both meant to me. You were more than just comrades. You were friends. You were pillars of support when I needed it. If I am strong at all, it was because you were there and were part of what made me stronger. You were- You were family. And I will never forget that." Pressing a sleeve to her face, she wiped away the salty tracks. "Thank you, Shino-kun."

Steeling herself, she whispered, "Goodbye," and walked away without looking back.

* * *

Itachi shadowed her. He had expected that she would make her farewells before leaving and had found her as she was saying goodbye. The male obviously meant something to her, else they would not have found her by his side, a tear-stained broken bundle.

Earlier, after Kisame had returned to camp with the pack, Itachi had stood by the body for a few brief minutes before impulsively throwing a tag at the top of the pile the boy was buried in, sending a shower of rocks to fully entomb the corpse. Thinking back on his actions, the act of covering the body was perhaps for him, a shallow act of atonement, a replacement for what he had been unable to do previously in that night years ago.

Foolish of him, really.

But there was no one around to see now, no village to deceive, nothing reason to hide under a cover of ruthlessness, and doing it, however poor a substitute it was and though not exactly lightening his burden, had perhaps made his past actions just a shade easier to bear.

In a sense, he envied her ability to freely cry. He had long since left that portion of himself behind in the room stained with his parent's blood. And since then, every horrendous act he committed seemed to weigh twice as heavily without the relief of openly mourning.

Itachi sighed. The sky was brightening. It was time to go.

* * *

She was lost in thought when Itachi appeared before her.

"We are leaving."

She nodded and made to follow when he paused and stepped closer. Hinata froze as he passed his hands over her forehead, fingertips glowing with chakra.

"Blood tends to aggravate Kisame's more...aggressive instincts. While he controls himself well, it would be an unnecessary distraction to our travels. Try to be aware of all open wounds in the future," he said. Then he turned and began walking back to the campsite.

She then realized she had forgotten that a piece of wall had knocked her out. Too many thoughts must have pushed the sensation of the cut to the back of her mind. Pondering his words, she followed. It was time to focus and to stop thinking about all the things that made her want to shrink into a ball and hide somewhere until everything made sense again.

She decided that contemplating the mysteries of the two Akatsuki men would keep her mind off other thoughts. His comment had shed some light on her other traveling partner, though she wondered how much of that aggression was part of Kisame's inherent personality. On the other hand, Uchiha-san- _or would he prefer_ _Itachi-san?-_ remained an enigma. Hinata got the impression that this was unlikely to change in the near future, if ever. However, a more important realization from the morning's interactions was the continued affirmation that the two men were less monstrous than they were reputed to be, unless it was all an act. Regardless, if she wasn't careful, she could very easily learn to trust them despite the fact that they were wanted criminals.

She ended her musings when she found that Itachi had stopped and was waiting expectantly. She had a sinking feeling he had asked her something.

Fortunately, he appeared to have been fluent in blank, wide-eyed expressions and repeated his question."Have you been trained in medical ninjutsu?"

"N-no," she replied concentrating on the ground in an attempt to keep her face from flaming, "just enough for basic field healing."

"Hm..." Her eyes flicked back up to him as he continued saying, "It would be worth pursuing given your abilities and chakra control." He summoned a crow and handed her the scrolls that it held. "Study those in your spare time."

"Thank you, Itachi-san," she said, watching to see if he would object to the name. He merely nodded and she trailed behind him when he resumed walking. Curiosity compelled her to unroll a scroll for a peek. She blinked in surprise as medical text greeted her. Closing it, she considered him again. She took into account what she knew about him- which was not a lot. He was once the genius Uchiha heir who became Anbu captain at age 13, highly praised and frequently mentioned for his achievements, until massacring his entire clan one night. Then he became the demon that villagers and ninjas alike spoke about in hushed gossip, the traitor, remembered through whispers that silenced in front of young children and survived by one lonely, lost brother.

Those rumors were a contrast to the polite boy she had met as a child in various multi-clan functions, one who had doted on and teased his younger sibling and had enjoyed onigiri and tea. She had remembered him specifically, because by then, her relationship with Neji had deteriorated, and she could only wistfully watch another's happy kinship from afar, wishing for if only's.

She wondered who exactly was the man before her presently and the reasons why he would do the things he did.

By the time they reached Kisame, she had ended up with even more questions about her new companions than before. She sighed. Her world had been upended and answers to anything were unlikely to be found anytime soon.

* * *

They set out as the sun crept over the horizon with Itachi leading the way while Kisame and Hinata flanked him. Hinata chose not to look back, though she was sure the scene of Konoha destroyed would always be imposed over her memory of a whole Konoha. Denying herself the backward glance was more because she would rather not prod at the hastily cauterized rawness of her emotions and break down in front of the two men. Her resolve to look towards the future was only so strong.

Unfortunately, the future did not seem to be as promising as it was the day before. She wondered if by the end of this all, she would end up bitterly cursing herself for hoping otherwise. No matter how far they went, the land around them was the same, desolate and ravaged.

Every so often, Itachi stopped and asked her to look around with her Byakugan and tell him what she saw.

What she saw was not encouraging.

He was right. It seemed that whatever had destroyed Konoha, had also indiscriminately bombarded surrounding areas, leaving vast stretches of wasteland. The Fire Country, once lush and green, was now a scorched mass of craters where there should have been cities and valleys where there once stood mountains.

Her eyes were stinging from the fires still burning, filling the air with acrid smoke, though she did not want to close her eyes. For if she did, she could have almost believed that she was on another mission with Shino and Kiba. It was almost cruel when the presence of the men beside her shattered the illusion every time, too foreign and too dangerous to be her teammates.

Sunlight weakly filtered through the lingering film of smoke that blanketed the sky, casting a grey gloom over the earth. It was eerily quiet, as if the gloom had transcended the muting of color to the muting of sound. And they would travel for miles without conversing. Only when Hinata relayed information about the land did they break the silence, but even then, they only spoke in terse sentences. For Hinata, her voice only made the absence of other sounds more evident, so she was not inclined to speak much at all. It was fortunate that there were not many bodies to be found. She had been dreading the sight of pallid faces and limbs, but after traveling for hours, in truth, the lack of sound, people, and life in general was disturbing.

It was somewhat of a relief to hear the trickling of water when they came upon a river. However, relief gave way to more desolation when she saw the state of it. The murky waters ran sluggishly as objects from a town upstream clotted the flow like a crudely erected dam. She watched as the current streamed over the cracked shards of someone's teacup caught in a crevice ahead of her and she was suddenly reminded that her father and Neji had always enjoyed a cup of tea after sparring. Even when she had joined them, Hinata would make sure to have some prepared for after. But now... They will never have tea together again.

No longer able to bear looking at the broken cup and unable to turn away, she took an extra sidestep as they passed and pushed at the obstruction with her foot with enough force to jar things free. The cup disappeared under the rush of water.

Kisame cocked an eyebrow, smirking, while Itachi watched her with another of his inscrutable stares.

Her father would have scolded her for her brash display of emotion. Still, for all her resolve to not despair, Hinata couldn't help but mourn for happier times. She will get through this, she reminded herself. Hopefully with her self control intact and if not...

She'd rather not think on 'if not's. Those should be locked away with all the wishes and 'if only's, to be uncovered and looked at only when she can be strong enough to not break under their weight. She shook off the thoughts and continued on.

* * *

Itachi had thought they would have encountered someone by now. Though there had not been evidence of anyone other than the Hyuuga since it all started.

He knew it was mere chance that he and Kisame had survived.

They were on their way to gather information on the whereabouts of the Nine-Tails jinchuuriki when the deafening blasts suddenly came down all around them, as if someone had set off enormous explosive tags in all directions simultaneously. However, Itachi had never witnessed anything with so much destructive power. The ground violently lurched beneath his feet, roiling vibrations that would have thrown him had he not steadied himself with chakra.

Great waves of dust engulfed him, blocking his vision and soon after the sky began to rain fiery bits of charred objects airborne from the explosion.

When the dust settled, he noted that Kisame was alive and cursing up a storm, not that Itachi could hear him over the ringing in his ears caused by the explosions. It was rare to see Kisame lose his composure to such an extent, and the Uchiha genius allowed himself a flare of amusement.

But that feeling soon faded when his hearing returned and Itachi became wary of his surroundings. He scaled up the nearby rock face for a better vantage point and almost wished that he could have stayed in ignorance. He had hoped to never again witness something at the level of destruction as the Third Shinobi World War but before him was something that surpassed even that- as if the Fates had conspired for this display- a horrific antithesis of all he had spent his life preventing. The analytical part of his mind bypassed denial and he focused on the facts.

Whatever had happened, had only lasted for the span of seconds. But in that breath, the land was in ruin- the nightmarish panorama extended as far as his eyes could see.

Turning his head, Itachi's attention landed on the other side of the rock face which had accumulated the wreckage of a village that had once been a mile farther to the east. Itachi suppressed his emotions as he looked amidst the stockpiled ruins of debris and body parts. And even as he watched, the aftershocks caused further deterioration as the structures still standing crumbled and rocks slid away to reveal more of the dead. He diverted his gaze.

Recollecting himself, Itachi sat and attempted to communicate with Pain and the rest of the Akatsuki through the technique that utilized the channels of thought waves.

No response came.

Unsettled, his mind turned to determining a new objective- new, for he had no doubt that an altered goal was required given this recent development. The Nine-Tails can wait. The situation at large was uncertain and his sense of apprehension grew as he took another glance at the remains of the village, reminded of another, one that took precedence over all aspects of his life, even his little brother.

So much had been lost. Then, and now.

Worry for both Konoha and Sasuke warred within him, enough for Itachi to throw off his usual façade of indifference and decide to ascertain the conditions of one or the other. He had to know. Not knowing the exact location of Sasuke and being in relative close proximity to Konoha, he decided to head to the Leaf Village. Should anyone ask, he would say that he was checking on the jinchuuriki.

Itachi signaled to his partner who had spotted him and was surveying the damage from atop a tree.

Kisame joined him, curses quieting to a grumble. In all probability, the former Kirigakure shinobi was still affected by the sound of the blast, judging by the slight, unbalanced shifts in his steps. His ears were more sensitive than Itachi's.

Itachi tilted his head to communicate the direction that he wanted to go and Kisame nodded, indicating that he would follow Itachi's lead.

So they headed to Konoha.

Even though he paid extra care to searching out people, anyone who might, however unlikely, have pertinent knowledge to what occurred, they had met no one until they came upon the Hyuuga.

And now on the road again, they were no closer to answers and had seen no one so far, even with her eyes.

A quiet one, that girl. She was timid in her manners with an unexpected streak of impulsiveness and grim determination. Although, the more they saw, the stronger was the tinge of anxiety emanating from her. He could see it draining away at her, wariness creeping into her features.

Try as he might, he too, was not immune to the sights. It was reminiscent of the night of the massacre- his secret that he would turn over in the deepest recess of his mind in the darkest of hours and lament. That was the outcome of choosing between two evils. And yet again, he was faced with such mindless destruction, though not done by his hands, the taste of it was still ashen in his mouth. But he could not show weakness. It would get him killed.

He re-centered himself. These morose thoughts will not do.

His eyes flicked to Hinata. Her transparent emotions needed to be reigned in, lest he get drawn in again through another moment of empathy. Her attention needed to be diverted.

They had traveled along the river for much of the day, and though there was still several hours of sunlight left, he called for a halt after finding an area suitable for a campsite.

"We're stopping here for today," he announced. Then he nodded at Kisame, who proceeded to grin.

"Alright Nibbles, let's see what you've got."

* * *

"What?" she asked in alarm as his grin grew wider.

Hinata was not sure what was happening. One moment she was lost in memories and the next Kisame had charged at her.

"Wait!" She cried, instinctively blocking his fist. The force of his hit sent her flying backwards to a fallen tree.

Rolling to her feet, she tried asking again. "What are you-" And was cut off as she dodged to the side, avoiding another hit that splintered the wood behind her.

"You're going to die if you just keep talking," he said, already continuing with his attack.

Oh God.

She shot a terrified glance at Itachi, but he remained impassively watching at the side.

"Focus, Nibbles!"

Kami, he was going to kill her. This was bad. She dodged again, activating her bloodline limit.

He was too fast. She would parry hits but he would already have his next move in progress. She did her best to defend herself, though seemed he was toying with her. He had to have known her specialty was close range combat and was purposefully placing himself within her reach. She managed to close several of the tenketsu in his arms and legs with Gentle Fist strikes before he sent her sprawling again with a well placed kick.

Even when he was playing to her strengths, she knew she was no match for him; he was not even using his full power. Already he had landed several painful hits on her. His giant sword hung at his back, its chakra still untapped. Why bring her all this way only to attack her?

Water amassed around Kisame into an enormous shark as his hands formed seals, encasing him. Seeing him careening towards her, with the jaws of the shark closing in on her, she countered it with a variation of the Vacuum Palm.

Hinata knew she could not afford to have this fight drawn out. She threw several smoke bombs in succession and ducked behind a boulder to buy time. Kurenai-sensei had always said that if you could not match your opponent in power, you need to overcome him with wits. She needed to think, understand his mind, predict his next actions to time her moves for most efficiency.

She was very much in danger but she could not understand why. If this was about her eyes, Itachi would be the one attacking, instead of running the risk of damaging her. Had she read him wrong and was he just a purely sadistic individual? Was this a game to him, the goal being to inflict maximum pain instead of just killing her outright? If that is so, to allow him to continue in this manner would only weaken her more and prolong her suffering. The choices remain, escape or fight. And she doubted she could outrun him. Her next move would probably be her best chance to either incapacitate him, or die trying.

She had been developing a technique. Though she had not practiced the Protection of the Eight Trigrams against an actual opponent and it was far, far from perfected, it will be her best chance to catch him by surprise from a farther distance than he would have expected.

Deciding on her course of action, she was chilled to see him just standing in the middle of the clearing when all the smoke vanished.

She created a clone for distraction and gathering chakra on her palms, she attached an explosive tag on the boulder she was hiding behind and blasted it towards him, using the ensuing explosion to mask her movements.

As expected, he dealt with the boulder quickly, but she had managed to get behind him and within range.

The streams of her chakra sliced into his body.

"Oh ho! So the guppy has teeth!"

She wavered at his unbothered tone and he took advantage of her moment of insecurity and a giant wave spewed forth from his mouth.

Hinata tried to spin away into the defensive mode of her technique, but she was a step too slow and was swept off by the water.

Despite having failed, she stood back up. Winded, bruised, and drenched, she prepared for the worse. Kisame approached her, sharpened pearly teeth glinting. On the brink of potential death, a sudden thought popped into her head. Considering the fact that they hadn't stopped for food yet- All those threatening hints- those teeth- calling her _Nibbles_-

"I will not allow you to eat me!" She blurted out, aghast at the thought of being portable food source.

His face registered surprise and he dropped his guard. Fear fueled her actions and she took the opportunity to slam her palm against him. She slid into the beginning steps of the Eight Trigrams that years of training and countless sessions had finally drilled into her subconscious.

Two strikes- Four- She was pushing him back- Eight- She had to move faster- Sixteen- Thirty-two- Though her technique for the Sixty Four Palms was still not at Neji's level, she could not afford to waste the chance and stop at where she felt secure.

For once, her limbs were obeying her. Her arms moved quicker than before, more accurately. She gave all her remaining strength in one last desperate strike against his chest- Sixty-four.

She had pulled it off and this time, Kisame was the one thrown backwards. But as she stood there breathlessly, her momentary joy at success quickly evaporated as Kisame's prone form twitched. She watched with mounting horror as Kisame forced open his sealed chakra points like Naruto did in that long ago chuunin match against Neji.

No-

When he met her eyes, a bolt of terror shot through her- impossible- and she backed away only to be caught by Itachi.

"Enough."

She stared up at him.

An odd muffled noise escaped Kisame and her attention snapped back to the shark-like shinobi. "Nibbles, I'm not sure where that mind of yours has gone, but that was-" He snorted and gave in to what seemed to be laughter.

Hinata, confused, turned her questioning eyes back to Itachi.

His dark orbs bore into her. "Regardless of what you might think, Kisame does not indulge in cannibalism."

She flushed.

"I have seen enough. We will train your combative skills in exchange for the use of your eyes."

Once again, they had baffled her with their actions.

Kisame regained control of himself. "Relax guppy, that was good. It'll be no fun if you die too soon."

That was not at all reassuring. But, no longer fearing for her life, she sank to her knees and winced, prodding at bruise forming on her arm. Thinking back on the scrolls that Itachi had given her that morning, she wondered if they had meant to train her in medical arts instead. At this rate, she might have to develop perpetual healing abilities to keep up with all the injuries.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

It was Itachi's turn to keep vigil while the other two rested. Although, whether or not there was anything to be vigilant about remained to be seen. They had been traveling on what was once a major roadway that connected various towns throughout Fire Country. Under normal circumstances, the paved road would have been frequented by a bustling, noisy, ant trail of people, horses, and caravans. Now, aside from his companions, Itachi had heard nothing the entire day but the eerie whistle of the wind blowing through the ruined landscape.

The stars glowed faintly overhead, but no longer with the brilliance he once remembered. His eyesight was getting worse. The Mangekyou Sharingan gave the user powerful techniques but in another life, Itachi wondered if he might have preferred a different ability if only to be able to see clearly.

But, those were wistful, foolish thoughts.

His eyes served his purposes just fine.

He would be interested to know whether or not the Byakugan had adverse effects. However, every clan had their secrets and Itachi doubted that the Hyuuga girl would allow him to investigate hers.

After dealing with her injuries, the Hyuuga had fallen again into an exhausted sleep. Itachi surmised that she was letting down her guard so easily as a result of necessity rather than trust. Not surprising really, considering that her stamina and physical strength could use more training. Nevertheless, he was pleased with the areas of her strengths. Her chakra control was better than average, impressive even, and her reflexes were fast.

More advantageous was her willingness to deviate from the traditional style of the Gentle Fist. It was something he could work with. In his past encounters with the Hyuuga, they had always stuck strictly to their techniques but her movements were fairly innovative in comparison. The technique was unpolished and obviously untried but with more practice and perhaps some guidance, it could give her formidable offensive and defensive capabilities.

How… unexpected, for her seal-less forehead marked her as part of the main house as surely as a seal separated those of the branch, which meant she must be the heiress. He would have thought the oppressive rule of the Hyuuga house and their obsession with tradition might have crushed someone so unorthodox and seemingly soft, lacking in whatever the Hyuuga thought constituted as perfection.

And judging from her earlier outburst—fanciful as well.

It was an amusing observation for her to unknowingly link Kisame to cannibalism in such a literal manner, especially when the man had previously threatened him with something along the same lines. He allowed an almost smile behind the cover of his high collared coat. He'd admit that she was exceptionally determined beneath her timid exterior. Not many had the will to stand up to Kisame and even fewer had the heart to keep standing in the face of Kisame's seemingly inexhaustible power.

He was… not dissatisfied that was she who remained of Konoha.

This had to be enough for now.

* * *

The journey was taking much longer than Hinata thought it would, having found out that their destination was somewhere by the Hidden Rain Village. The sun brightened the sky of the fourth day and yet they had only recently passed by the remains of a village that Itachi identified to have been the halfway point between Konoha and Amegakure.

The unfamiliar land had forced them to change directions from their originally northward path so many times that she would have been lost if the sun did not still travel from east to west. Though considering the circumstances, she would not have been surprised if the sun, too, decided to change its course. Her mental map of the world was thrown in disarray because all the major landmarks were gone and they were relying on clues in the surroundings to lead the way.

As they settled into the pace of another day of traveling, Hinata came to regret that her traveling partners were not the type to fill the silence with words. In the beginning, she was thankful that the silence allowed her to sort out her emotions, but now she had entirely too much time to herself to think. Her thoughts continually touched upon things that reminded her of her family, her teammates, and Konoha. Despite her efforts to focus on the situation at hand, she couldn't quite get over her embarrassing accusation to speak freely with her new companions.

Watching them, she came to a conclusion that the two Akatsuki men were unexpectedly more cordial and less intimidating than first impressions would indicate. Of course, they might have been too distracted trying to process what had happened to put any effort into terrorizing her, training aside. At the very least, they had not treated her like an enemy or captive and had even volunteered to teach her in exchange for her abilities.

Contrary to the image that he presented, Kisame was often times more bark than bite.

Not that his bite was anything to joke about. Even after healing, she could still feel the phantom pain from their earlier sparring session.

But it appeared that while he enjoyed fighting, he derived as much, if not more, enjoyment in provoking a reaction out of everyone around him when he did speak. His goading proved to be unsuccessful thus far. Itachi-san had yet to respond with Kisame's desired fight, and Hinata was in agreement about avoiding unnecessary conflict. She suspected that this was a typical occurrence and that each man had long since learned to deal with the other's quirks. In time, she could possibly find her place in their dynamic.

She tried not to draw parallels between Itachi-san, Kisame, and herself to the image of Kiba, Akamaru, and a chew-toy.

Her eyes trailed over to the other shinobi a few meters ahead of her. Itachi-san had remained distant and silent but for the occasional wry comment to Kisame and asking her about what she saw.

The former Konoha shinobi was unreadable, with a suppressed intensity that reminded Hinata of Sasuke-kun. She wondered if Itachi-san knew how much his brother resembled him. The younger Uchiha had changed significantly from the eager, bright child she had remembered from years prior. Ever since the massacre, he had withdrawn into himself, constantly brooding, much like Itachi-san right now. Although with Itachi, it was much more subtle, his thoughts carefully masked by a facade of unperturbed calm so favored in politics.

She wondered if he thought of Sasuke-kun, if Sasuke-kun was still alive. But, thinking of him only reminded Hinata of Naruto-kun, who had never been far from his teammate. The ever vibrant, loud, and hopeful Naruto-kun was like the shining sun she could rely on to never give up, to always rise again. She had not seen him in nearly three years, but she had faith that he must be alive. Alive and shouting about Sasuke-kun and his dreams to be Hokage and—

Brought her back to the village and people that she was not thinking about.

If only one of the men would talk to distract her.

Unfortunately, they had fallen into a lull of silence and her previous, pitiful attempts at conversation were fruitless to say the least.

When she worked up the nerve, and though she loathed to break the silence, she caught up to Itachi-san. "Why are we going to Amegakure?"

* * *

Itachi internally sighed, debating whether or not to answer her. He supposed that the silence had gone on long enough for his mind to have exhausted all possibilities several times over. Perhaps it was time to exchange theories, although he was unsure on how much of his suspicions to reveal to the others. There were too many unknown variables. Kisame probably had a few ideas of his own. However, knowing Kisame, the battle-oriented shinobi undoubtedly had already cast aside concern for everything but their current objective and finding the next fight. The Hyuga, perhaps, may offer a new perspective. And it was not as if she had anywhere to report the information he would divulge if they were to converse on this topic.

"We are going to Amegakure because it is where Akatsuki is based and where we might find some answers. Tell me, what do you know of the organization?"

The wide-eyed look she gave him was almost comical, as if disbelieving that he even answered her question, let alone posed another for her. He must have debated for longer than he thought.

Once she got over her surprise, she answered, "Not a lot, only what my— my clan had warned me about. The organization's name is Akatsuki and is comprised of S-class missing nin and highly dangerous. They are not currently after the Byakugan, but may be hired to do so. Recommended action is to avoid confrontation and report sightings to the Hokage unless capture is possible. Recognizable through signature red clouds and black clothing. They had told me that you had been rumored to have joined. Other details are classified information I didn't have access to."

"Hn." In other words, she knew nothing of importance. Basic, relevant knowledge then.

"There are many who are sympathetic to the organization's cause, but the core members of the Akatsuki are only ten in number," Itachi revealed."We generally travel in twos and rarely convene. In order to communicate, we have someone who allows us to link minds. Unfortunately, it appears we have lost communication, leading me to believe something has occurred at headquarters. This is… unusual… given our capabilities and the fortification of Akatsuki's defenses. I would like to go assess the situation."

There was no need to tell her that he wanted to keep a check on the other members. It was highly likely that some of them would return to headquarters, if only for the chance to commandeer certain projects for their own gain. More specifically, he wanted to keep an eye on the other Uchiha in Akatsuki. Such a man would not die so easily. Itachi had been distrustful of Tobi—Madara from the start, and he had long since suspected that the man had a hand in the project concerning the vessel holding the extracted tailed beasts. He would not be surprised if he had something to do with this... mess as well.

Their pace was unfavorably slow. However, given that Tobi and Deidara were last known to be in Kirigakure to capture the Three-tails, meant that Madara would also encounter similar obstacles if headed to Amegakure. Itachi hoped to make it there before any of the others.

If headquarters had indeed been ravaged by the blasts, the previously guarded scroll room may still be intact, given its location deep within the mountain range. Over the years, Akatsuki had acquired a large number of rare scrolls and he was fairly certain that Konan kept a record of Akatsuki business sealed away in a side chamber of the room. The fount of knowledge including specifics on Akatsuki's current dealings could even contain an explanation for recent events. There may even be information on Orochimaru's whereabouts and thus, Sasuke's whereabouts. It was worth looking into.

"Do you think there will be anything left?" Her voice broke through his thoughts.

Did he? "I don't know." There were so many unknown variables. If their surroundings were anything to go by—if nothing was left, where would they go after? Would they continue to wander around? Find people? Find Sasuke?

Fortunately, Kisame interrupted before he was forced to give voice to his thoughts.

"Curious, Nibbles? For all you know, we could be leading you to a giant pot, the better to cook you in."

The Hyuuga flushed two shades redder. She was very transparent, an unusual trait for a kunoichi. It was possible that she was exceptionally good at acting, but somehow—he watched as the line of her mouth twisted into an embarrassed, self-berating frown—he doubted it.

"I apologize for my earlier comment. I was over-thinking."

Kisame scowled. "Che—come now. Don't just apologize! What happened to all that aggression? I'm itching for a fight."

She was meekly turning an unhealthy shade of red and Itachi decided to intervene. "It will take too long to reach our destination if we stop for your every itch Kisame."

"Heh, you're turning into a verified mother hen Itachi-san. Deidara always thought there was something nagging about you."

Itachi narrowed his eyes at Kisame but took no action.

Kisame huffed in exasperation. "Fine. You're both no fun at all. I can wait."

It was becoming clear that Kisame was getting bored of their daily grind. This would not have been an issue but the unavoidable smell of blood on the wind was slowly driving Kisame's instincts into a frenzy.

Itachi hoped that they would find something to focus on soon before they came to blows.

* * *

They were well into their fifth day of traveling when she felt it.

Something was stalking them, ghosting at the edge of her senses and making the hair at the back of her neck prickle in warning. Hinata was familiar with the sensation of being stared at. It came with the territory of being the firstborn heiress to a clan. And though people had long since stopped their gossiping of her perceived failures, the weight of their disapproving gazes still lingered on her from time to time. She had long delegated the feeling to the back of her mind, a distant hum. However, this type of gaze was… different and had set off alarms labeled danger.

But she couldn't find the source and it couldn't have been her companions. No matter how many times she scanned the surroundings with Byakugan, the same lifeless wasteland greeted her.

And while the abnormal landscape was disquieting, the fact that they had not encountered another living person in their journey unnerved Hinata even more. They could not possibly be the only ones alive. All this distance covered and still there was no one stumbling around, no injured calling out for help, not even a flicker of life larger than beetles. It could be that this… spectator….was just cautious and would approach them later, but it bothered Hinata that she could not catch anyone other than her companions in her visual perimeters. And that… malicious feeling…

She wondered if she was going crazy or if they could feel it too. She was reluctant to ask. It wasn't until they were once again sitting around a fireplace that she realized that they had read her more easily than she thought.

"What is bothering you?"

Itachi's question from across the embers cut through her tired haze like a knife. Hesitance filled Hinata. She didn't want to reveal anything especially when she had no proof. However, from the way his eyes were looking at her, she didn't think he would take 'it's nothing' for an answer.

"I think there's something following us."

"Well why didn't you say so sooner, Nibbles? Planning on keeping all the fun to yourself?"

"No—I _think_ there is something or someone following, but I don't…see anything."

Kisame's eyebrows rose though Itachi's expression didn't change as he demanded, "Explain."

"I-I can't prove it. It's just a feeling."

The following scrutiny of her from both men suddenly made the dirt ground terribly interesting.

She was startled by Itachi's sudden appearance in front of her.

"Look at me."

Well, when he put it that way, she could forget that looking into his eyes could subject her to their illusionary, mind-bending properties. Sarcasm. Her sister would be proud.

And her thoughts had strayed again.

She flinched when he reached to tilt her face up.

"Or over my shoulder if it makes you more at ease. I will not harm you."

Her cheeks warmed. So he had noticed that she'd been avoiding direct focus in the direction of his face. In hindsight, her behavior was terribly rude and uncharacteristic. So Hinata forced herself to look at him.

And immediately dropped her gaze back to his shoulder.

It didn't help her facial color to note that he was close—closer than anyone had been to her face in sometime and was studying her features intently. A small, silly part of her admitted that many girls would say that he was quite attractive.

_Stop it, Hinata._

Now was not the time to be thinking such things. She attributed her thoughts to the madness of the situation, and resolved to remedy them when her mind stopped insisting that she impersonate tomatoes, fishes, and various other food items.

It was then she noticed that while she'd been avidly trying to concentrate on the lovely pattern of his coat and thinking non-food thoughts, Itachi-san had been diagnosing her eyes.

"Will you activate your eyes for me?"

Right. She really should be paying attention. Neji-niisan would scold her to focus.

"Hn. Although I am unfamiliar with the chakra patterns used by Byakugan, there does not seem to be anything amiss with your sight," he said as he removed his glowing fingers away from her face. "Unless there is something different about the physiology of Byakugan eyes in comparison to others?"

She realized, with a jolt, that she had believed him when he said he would not harm her. "No." Should she really be so trusting? He didn't seem the type to lie.

"For now, we will stay alert, though I doubt we'd see anything before you do. If something should turn up, we will deal with it accordingly."

Kisame stood. "Hmph. I'll go look around. If I find anything, they're my prey. Do not interfere." He shot them both a look before heading off.

"Hn."

As silence returned once more, she decided to leave her thoughts and rest while she had the chance. After settling under a blanket, she remembered to say, "Thank you, Itachi-san."

He blinked at her, as if leagues away.

"You are welcome."

* * *

Itachi briefly wondered if he, too, should circle around the perimeter of their camp to see if there was validity to the Hyuuga's concerns. Kisame, though an efficient hunter, often times missed the details. He quickly discarded the notion, for it would seem too much like a parent allaying the fears of children frightful of monsters in the closet. Kisame would accuse him of being a mother hen again.

A ridiculous notion.

But such things were best ignored. If he reacted, there would be no end to the name-calling.

Returning to the issue that Hinata brought up—the range of her senses was much farther than his or Kisame's and while they had not noticed any activity, perhaps there was cause for concern. However, he could sense no presence other than theirs. Whether that was a comforting thought or not remained a question he refused to think on.

No matter.

They would deal with whatever came their way.

* * *

"Are you sure we're heading in the right direction?"

"Yes."

"Well this sure as hell doesn't look like Iwarashi."

"It was."

They came to a small town that was partially intact. Itachi reached down to uncover a sign that indicated that it was indeed the village the two men occasionally stayed in en route to the headquarters.

"Someone's been busy," Kisame commented as they searched through it, revealing it to be another body-less ruin. The metallic scent of blood hung thick in the air, but the source of it was difficult to pinpoint.

"Hn."

It was another curious thing. They had found no living person since the girl and after the third day, they had even ceased to find the dead. The bodies were scarce given the scale of destruction. That is to say the farther they went, the more rubble they passed, the less evidence there was that there were previously inhabitants in the villages at all. He would have suspected all the people had fled before the destruction but for the bloodstains on the ground and surroundings.

They located the town's water tower and climbed to the top. He noted that at the base of it, a pool of dark red, congealed fluid remained. It was too much for the person it came from to not be dead.

Itachi glanced at Hinata, mind awhirl of the possibilities for this phenomenon. Considering.

Perhaps her instincts had proven correct and there was someone trailing them. Perhaps this stalker had answers for the missing bodies and was merely keeping away for caution. Another possibility could be that this stalker was the cause of the disappearing acts.

"There must be someone else alive if the corpses are being disposed of," he said as he checked the water for impurities and refilled their water bags.

Kisame mouth split into a grin, pointed teeth flashing. "Goody."

Hinata looked over the town, checking specifically for chakra signs. "It was probably done days before we reached here and whoever did it is long gone."

"Are there developments on this… sense of yours?"

She shook her head. "I can still feel someone watching from time to time but… I can see no others, unless they are hiding behind a barrier capable of blocking my eyes."

The following search through the town turned up plenty of supplies and blood but no bodies and no further clues.

So they pressed on.

* * *

Later that day, they came across a great divide, a bottomless canyon that split the land in two. Even with the sun directly overhead, the bottom of the canyon laid in shadows.

Hinata stared into the gaping abyss. "It's very deep."

"The land must have been predisposed to such a weakness and the blasts triggered a fault line."

"The headquarters is suppose to be on the other side?" she asked.

"Yes, about a day's travel. Unfortunately, we will have to go around. I'm not certain how far we will have to go."

Kisame cursed. "What about those birds of yours? Can't you have them carry us over?"

"…I cannot guarantee that they will be able to sustain us the entire way across."

"Pity."

Hinata traced the canyon with her eyes, trying not to be discomfited when she felt the dangerous gaze again.

"The width of the canyon appears to decrease if we head further north, but it extends past my range of sight."

Suddenly, a nauseating, sulfuric stench of rot and decay was the only warning they received before a massive blur of something appeared out of nowhere and came at them from behind, forcing them in the only direction possible.

Hinata muffled her terror as they were sent careening down into the canyon.


End file.
